by Guy Antibes
“A Vorrian sorcerer visited Lord Wamia in Sealio and was so proud of the wand that he gave up its secret. I was present, but the man didn’t know I had talent. I’m glad to see I remembered how he did it. Don’t touch either side of the blade.” She held her napkin out and the blade sliced through the cloth without hesitation.
“No wonder Vana said two gold pieces didn’t come close to the cost.”
“A thousand would be more like it,” Minnie said.
“Did you know about this, Tobia?” Ricky said.
His servant shook his head.
“I don’t tell my husband everything, and he doesn’t tell me everything. Some things servants hear need to stay secret. My knowledge about the wand was one of them. I thought I’d never see one again.”
Minnie showed Ricky how to interpret the script, which was a singing notation shared between Duteria and Vorrian sorcerers. Ricky had never run across anything like it in his ancient texts.
Ricky’s voice broke twice trying to get the resonance right, and that made both of them laugh.
“Don’t get offended,” Minnie said. “Exercise patience, and you’ll get through it.”
~
Ricky opened the dark flat. Tobia had elected to spend the night with his wife, but in Wamia’s house.
“I thought you’d never return,” a sleepy female voice said in the darkness.
Ricky produced a sorcerous globe, but once he saw who had invaded his apartment, he extinguished it and went to the window and pulled the draperies shut.
Before he lit another globe, two lamps were in the process of being lit. He sat in a chair across from Princess Pira Dorgia. Two bodyguards stood on either side of the couch that the princess had just used to take an evening nap.
“We thought it more discreet to wait in the dark,” Pira said, yawning. “You might have thought us burglars, and that might have led to an embarrassing scene.” She gave him an impish smile. “Now, just what are you doing in Dimani’s capital instead of resting at Lord Griama’s estate gathering information for me?”
“You make it sound like I’m your personal spy.”
“If you have a good story, I’ll promote you to be my personal ambassador to Dimani. Don’t you want to become a diplomat?”
“I don’t think myself capable of being an ambassador. As for diplomacy, I’m afraid my version has a sorcerous tinge to it.”
“If you can make it work for us.” She waved her hand.
Ricky wondered who the ‘us’ was. “Are your bodyguards trustworthy?”
“Why?”
“Insippa Baldico works for your father.”
Pira laughed. “I knew that. He plays at being in the Order,” she clenched her fist and showed it to Ricky. “I can trust these two ladies. Talk.”
Ricky didn’t know what else to do. Pira had her own way of dominating, much different from Tobia’s wife, the ravishing Minnie Castocca, if that was her real name. It sounded more Parantian than Duterian to Ricky, but then he’d never been there. He took a deep breath and told of the voyage to Dimani and everything else that had happened except for the fact that Tobia and Minnie were sorcerers and kept the story of the wand to himself.
Pira clutched at the air as if catching a fly. “You have filled in the holes rather nicely, Ambassador Valian.”
“Is ambassador higher than duke’s heir?” Ricky said. He bit his tongue as he said it. His words sounded like flirting. What possessed him to say such a thing?
Pira giggled just a bit. “If you are the ambassador, it is. Consider the titles additive. Now, how can we stay in communication? I can’t sneak out of Falcon Castle every night.”
“I neglected something in my report, princess.”
She smiled slyly. “Naughty boy, what?”
“I learned a way to communicate, but it requires a token to store a spell.”
“Like this?” Princess Pira lifted a golden bird that hung from a sturdy gold chain from her neck.
“That should work. Can I hold it?”
Pira snapped her fingers as she reached back and a bodyguard nimbly undid the clasp and draped the necklace over Pira’s fingers. She moved her hand so Ricky could take it. She grabbed his hand briefly when he did and giggled again. Ricky could feel his cheeks burn. This girl was so well-practiced at playing her games.
He pulled out his wand.
“That is nice. Did you have it in Paranty?”
Ricky shook his head. “I acquired it while I stayed at the Griama manor.”
He took a deep breath and cleared his mind before he carefully sang the spell, fearing to demonstrate his temporary affliction. He felt the link infuse into the bird and then handed the necklace to Pira.
“What was that all about?”
Ricky smiled as he engaged the link. I am confident that you can hear me in your head.
Pira jumped up and began batting her ears. “I didn’t like you doing that before, and I don’t like it now,” she said. Ricky could see through the mock anger.
Pretend whatever you did doesn’t work. Just play along. Pira said through the link.
“What did you hear?”
“My ears buzzed like there was a bee inside of my head. Whatever you tried didn’t work, just like it didn’t work in Sealio. Give it up, Lord Valian,” Pira said. She took a breath and smoothed out her dress. “That’s better,” she said rubbing an ear. “Now, for the real business at hand. Rehearsals start in two days. I had sent a messenger to Lord Griama, but then I learned that you had returned to the capital. Since you are here, meet me at the theater tomorrow one hour after noon to go over your role in my grand extravaganza.”
She nodded to the two bodyguards, who hadn’t said a word the entire time and left Ricky to himself. The whirlwind that was Princess Pira left Ricky breathless. He sat down and realized the link was still active.
Does this thing still work? It feels like it does. I am walking to the castle. There are a few things that would drive my guardian crazy, and the ability to magically communicate with a sorcerer of any ilk is one of them. We will keep this business between us. Now, how does this spell work? Pira said.
Either of us can initiate a conversation. All you have to do is exercise will to disengage the link. It is like turning a door handle to enter a link and turning it the other way to close it, Ricky said. The link extinguished.
Ricky sat back in awe at the girl’s deviousness. The link sprang back into existence.
Are you still there? Princess Pira said.
Ricky could feel her giggle. The link was as strong as the affinity link he had with Loria.
I am, Ricky said. We need to use this sparingly, or someone will figure out something is wrong with you.
Or you! Princess Pira said. Ricky could feel another giggle.
See? You are giggling to yourself. Won’t your bodyguards get suspicious?
Silence for a bit. Ricky still felt the link.
Good night, my Lord Valian.
Good night, Princess.
Am I not your princess?
Good night, my princess.
That’s better. We will meet tomorrow.
What an exhausting girl! Ricky dressed for bed and secured the flat the way Tobia had shown him. Somehow the princess’s bodyguards were better at infiltrating a bodyguard’s flat than Tobia was at being able to protect it.
Moonlight filtered into Ricky’s bedroom overlooking the back garden. He went to the window and gazed at the way the light changed how the garden looked. He looked up at the ceiling after he climbed into bed.
Two women he had just met challenged him in quite different ways. Ricky smiled. Perhaps there were advantages to growing up that he hadn’t considered. He had enjoyed each encounter. He cast the thought out of his mind. He was still fifteen, he thought, but his mind countered with the notion that his voice was breaking, and that meant he wouldn’t be fifteen forever.
Ricky woke in the dark to words in his head.
You haven’t gone t
o bed yet, have you? Pira said.
Not only had I gone to bed, but I was asleep!
Good night, again, my Lord Valian.
Ricky didn’t say anything
What do you reply? Pira said.
Good night, again, my princess. Ricky said drily. He hoped she could detect his emotion at the moment.
That’s good enough. She broke the link.
~~~
CHAPTER THIRTY
~
R ICKY PLAYED WITH THE WAND IN THE MORNING while he waited for Tobia to show up with breakfast from the kitchen of Lord Wamia. Communicating via the link was much less taxing with his servant than with Princess Pira.
He tested the balance and weight of the wand before the metal blade emerged and after to find that the metal came from inside the wand. He was able to dull the blade by scraping the edge of the rough stone of the hearth. He spelled the blade away, and when it returned, so did the perfect edge. Ricky was sure King Leon wouldn’t allow a weapon like that in Paranty. He wanted to ask Princess Pira if there was a law to that effect, but the less he told the princess, the better.
He thought of infusing tokens with the mind-alignment spell. Ricky wondered if Duterian sorcery had a branch devoted to such things. Maybe Duteria wouldn’t be so bad of a refuge, after all.
Tobia rushed in. “This is better eaten while hot. I’m afraid the concoction is warm at best and can’t be re-cooked.”
Ricky followed him into the kitchen and witnessed Tobia reveal a large omelet filled with vegetables, meat, and cheese.
“We’ll need some salt,” Tobia said.
“Haven’t you already eaten?”
Tobia shook his head. “This is the kind of thing to share, Minnie always says. She cooked this.” He grinned as he found plates and forks and motioned Ricky to sit. “Did you play with your new toy last night?”
“I saved that for this morning. The blade self-sharpens every time it re-emerges,” Ricky said between bites. “I performed some tests, but that isn’t the highlight of my time alone.” Ricky liked whatever Minnie had put into the omelet.
“Really?” Tobia mumbled with a mouthful.
Ricky waited for Tobia to swallow. “When I returned home last night, Princess Pira and her two bodyguards were waiting for me in the living room.”
Tobia coughed and grabbed for a cup of water. “Inside?”
Ricky nodded, glad he had waited to spring the information on his servant.
“I am to meet her today one hour after midday at the theater. I enchanted her necklace so that I can communicate with her silently.”
“I’m not sure that was wise, Ricky,” Tobia said.
Ricky made a face. “I don’t think it was, either, but we will see. She is a lot more talkative than you are. Remember, I can’t listen to your thoughts or her thoughts. You always know when a link is made.”
Tobia nodded until he thought of something. “That means she is a sorceress. King Leon’s daughter has magic!”
“She is not his daughter; she is a cousin and a ward. Consider that a state secret that you have to promise to keep, and you can tell Minnie, but only if she promises, as well.” Ricky knew he was going out on a limb telling Tobia and Minnie, but he felt quite alone and defenseless when it came to Princess Pira.
“That’s right. Still, King Leon is known for his attitude towards sorcery.”
“It has been bred into him,” Ricky said. “Centuries of anger and distrust of sorcerers.”
“Minnie and I know all about that, having lived for years in Sealio. Does Princess Pira’s presence in Dimani change anything?” Tobia asked.
Ricky shook his head. “I don’t know. She is certainly exposing herself at a time when two countries may invade Dimani at any moment. If the capital revolts, she will be at risk, since I don’t consider King Courer’s reign to be particularly stable.”
“Perhaps she should cancel her performance,” Tobia said.
“You don’t know Princess Pira.”
“And you do? You’ve met her twice now?”
“Three times. Twice in the same day in Sealio,” Ricky said.
“I think you are right. Her reputation is well-known, and from what you said, it is justified, even when seen in a sympathetic light.”
“You are coming with me to the performance,” Ricky said. “That way you can assess the Princess’s motives yourself.” He looked at the remaining serving sitting on the plate. “If you aren’t going to have that, I will.”
Tobia grinned. “We can split it.” He cleared his throat. “If that is acceptable, my lord.”
~
After a lunch grabbed off the street, while roaming through a market square closer to the theater, Ricky and Tobia ducked inside into the cool, dark lobby. A few people clustered around a table at the far end.
Ricky walked up.
“I’m here for the exhibition performance,” Ricky said.
“Come back when you’ve put on a few years,” the woman who sat behind the table said.
A voice called out from behind Ricky before he had a chance to introduce himself. “That is Hendrico Valian. You know, the hero of the Applian Uprising? Princess Pira personally invited him to perform.”
“I thought that heroes were old enough to shave,” the man who joined the woman behind the table said. They laughed at their joking.
“Just sign him in.”
Ricky signed his name, and the couple pointed to the door leading into the theater.
“The princess has been here all morning,” Tirio Estippia said.
After glancing at Tobia and getting an encouraging nod, Ricky entered the dark theater. Like the last time Ricky had walked down the sloping aisle, a few sorcerous globes gave just enough light not to bump into the seats.
Ricky noticed the bodyguards first, and then he saw the glint of a thin crown on Pira’s dark hair. He looked back at Tobia, who didn’t show any trepidation as they approached a royal figure. Ricky’s trepidation was unrelated to her rank…at least specifically, he thought.
“Your Highness,” Ricky said, looking up at the performers on stage who had just stopped before Ricky said anything.
Pira turned and pursed her lips. “Who is the lunk behind you, my lord?”
Ricky responded quietly. “With my exaltation to whatever title you gave me last night, I thought I deserved one bodyguard. This is Tobia Castocca. He is my contracted servant.”
“He certainly looks the part,” Pira said. “Now, sit next to me. Let us discuss your contribution to our program.”
The princess outlined an impractical performance with horses and fireworks, both real and illusioned. She even hummed out some of the accompaniment.
“I’m not going to do that, Princess Pira. You’ll have me wearing gold-chased white satin for my costume and a white wig with curls piled on high.”
Pira’s face beamed. “You do catch my vision!”
Ricky doubted that, and he was sure that Pira was in the midst of a prank.
She looked back at the mostly empty theater. “Take your lunk and sit through the next number to get a feeling for what I seek in a performance, then you can return tomorrow morning after you have managed to down whatever they feed you in Dimani.” She smiled sweetly up at her bodyguards and the two men sitting next to her, their laps covered with notes.
Ricky sat down a few rows from the back. “She will link with me.”
“Here in the theater?” Tobia said.
Ricky nodded, and soon he felt the link engage.
Now that I have cut you viciously down to size, I’d like you to come up with a five-minute presentation that will startle the audience in Tossa. I’m sure you understand your latest title is at stake. That is what I want to see tomorrow morning. Dismissed! She cut off the link, and Ricky stood smiling.
“It is time to leave,” Ricky said.
Tobia followed him out of the theater proper and into the lobby. He stopped Ricky by grasping onto his wrist. Two familiar faces
were arguing with the couple behind the table. Estippia looked on with a hand to his bearded chin.
“I have been hired to attend to half the performers of this show,” Mirano Bespa said.
Ricky smiled as Siria Lonsi; his erstwhile sorcery instructor turned and recognized him.
“I will vouch for Master Healer Bespa,” Ricky said. “He is the best healer for performance sorcerers in Paranty. He gallantly performed healing on the battlefield during the Applian Uprising and saw to my wounds, along with Healer Siria Lonsi, his assistant.”
Ricky looked at Tirio Estippia, who stood straighter and nodded.
“Here are your passes, but they are only good until the end of the performance.” The woman stamped something on orange cards and initialed them.
Bespa smiled indulgently. “Of course. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He looked at Estippia. “Are any Parantian performers practicing today?”
“Most arrive today and will audition for the princess tomorrow,” Estippia said.
“Ah, then I will be here in the morning.” He nodded and turned to Ricky. “You do show up at the oddest times,” Bespa said. “Do you know of a good inn? We came straight from the ship thinking we might be late since Princess Pira beat us to Dimani.”
“If I might offer you rooms in our abode. I personally know the owners,” Tobia said to a cringing Ricky. What had gotten into his servant? “Are you married? Together?”
Ricky looked at Tobia. “Is that all right?”
“I need excuses, Ricky,” Tobia said in a whisper.
“We don’t want to impose,” Siria said. “We are nearly married and only need one room.”
“Nearly married works well with the owners,” Tobia said. “Follow us. Where are your bags?”
“In storage at the docks.”
“Give me your paperwork, and I’ll get them delivered.” Tobia looked at Ricky. His eyes were full of meaning, but Ricky couldn’t interpret them.
“I can take you to where I’m staying,” Ricky said.
Tobia took the documents and headed towards the port area of the city. Ricky watched him walk briskly down the street. Were Pira’s pranks contagious?